Batman: Vengeance
Reviewed by KasketDarkfyre
Being a port over game from one system to another,
you always find that there is something slightly
different with the game from the original release.
When this game was released on the Play Station 2,
you had Batman going up against all of the enemy
characters from the animated series and beating up
thugs. With this version found on the Game Cube, you
have the same game, control, visuals and audio that
was featured there, but on a smaller disc! If you
like Batman, then you may find that this game really
offers you a different system format, but the same
game that you may have played on the Play Station 2
When it comes to Batman games, there isn't one that
I've found yet that doesn't make me want to give up
gaming with anything Batman related. Vengeance, while
one of the better ones on the pile, still doesn't
deliver the goods in my eyes, and that only comes
with the linear game play and limited fighting
options that you have to work with! Considering that
games like this seem to come out of the woodwork
whenever a company decides that there is some money
to made with a franchise, you never really have a
game that has all of the features that you would to have.
In this case, my biggest beef with the game is that
the different ways that you can go never seem to
variate other than moving from point A to point B and
do a little fighting in between. The different modes
that you come across while you play are rather nice,
and I'll explain what they are, but in the end there
is just too little here to put it above the rest of
the games that are already out there and other titles
that are done in a better fashion!
The game play is comprised of a couple of different
types in which your main goal is the side scrolling
stages that you battle enemies through. While the
game doesn't do too much to create an original
environment to play through, you'll find that there
is just enough action involved with the game that you
have a rather fun and enjoyable time playing!
However, there are immediate problems with the battle
system in which you're limited in what you can do and
just how hard and fast you can fight against the
computer controlled enemies.
The difficulty of the game is another problem, in
which the first few fights are easy, but as you roam
through the numerous stages {18 or 19 in all} you'll
find that the difficulty is ramped up near the end of
the game in such a way, that one on one fights take a
considerable amount of time to complete. With Batman,
you would expect some of the weapons that the Caped
Crusader would have at his disposal, and you won't be
disappointed. However, another minor problem is that
the game doesn't offer enough opportunities to use
these weapons in battle and there is a lack of action
in that respect.
Controlling Batman is another problem altogether in
which you have to have a good understanding of a
hybrid three-dimensional world in which Batman moves.
If you have any understanding of how to use the
analog sticks in conjunction with the directional
pad, then you should have no problem learning how to
use the punch, kick and block system that the game
features! With the amount of platform jumping that
you may have to do and even some of the vehicle
controls, you'll have to learn how to use the
controls in such a way that you don't end up getting
yourself killed in the process.
Veterans to this type of gaming shouldn't have a
problem picking up and playing through the game with
just a few minutes of play, and something that I will
give credit for is that the training option is
available for both beginners and veterans alike. To
me, that is a plus in which you can learn how to play
the game with the smaller Game Cube controller, and
it really does help out beginners who need a little
practice with this type of control set up!
Visually, the game doesn't suffer from too much of
the jagged edges that you may find in games of this
type. In later stages, you may find that the
different visual inconsistencies come up at a more
frequent rate, but if you're not really looking for
them, then you won't notice them too much. Something
else that bothers me a little bit is that the game
lacks the amount of detail that I would expect from a
Batman game. This is more or less attributed to the
fact that the game is based off of the animated
series, so if you're a huge fan of that series, then
you'll find that everything here is recreated in the
same dark, semi-serious animations and environments
that you would find in the cartoon!
Audio wise, the game offers you some adventurous
music, but only in the same fashion that the animated
series on television offers. While not the most
impressive or even memorable music that you'll ever
hear in a video action game, you'll still find that
it seems to fit the different moods and modes that
the game has to offer. The sound effects are rather
impressive though, aside from the generic thuds and
smacks, but more with the less played voice-overs
that are straight from the animated series! When you
add all of these factors together, you have a game
that isn't too overly hard on the ears, but melds
together for a rather enjoyable experience for the
one time through.
This isn't to say that the game is a complete carbon
copy, because the only real change is with the
control setup. Just like the X-Box version of the
game, the only real challenge that you'll find with
this version is with using the control and the
different buttons to kick out the small combo's found
in the game! As a Game Cube owner, I would have liked
to have seen some differences with the game play and
maybe some impressive visuals, but what I found in
the Game Cube version is that it is nearly a replica
of the original Play Station 2 release in every way!
Overall: 7 out of 10